Needle guard for sewing machines



C. SEAMAN.

NEEDLE GUARD FOR SEWINGMACHINES. APPLICATI'ON man mm 16. 1920.

' 1,410,413. Patented Mar. 21, 1922;

INVENTOR MW A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES CHARLES SEAMAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK.

NEEDLE GUARD FOR SEWING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21,1922.

Application filed March 16, 1920. Serial No. 366,282. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES SEAMAN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle Guardsfor Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to needle guards for sewing machines, and the mainobject of the invention is effectually to prevent the operator fromgetting her finger under the needle, and to accomplish this resultwithout interfering-with the usual normal operation of the sewingmachine. Heretofore, so far as I am aware, or have found in an extensivefactory experience, no needle guard of a practical nature has beenproposed or has appeared upon the market. A more particular object ofthe invention is to provide such a guard device adapted for use upondifferent makes and types of sewing machines employing a variety ofstyles of presser feet, sometimes four or five different styles ofpresser feet being employed upon a single machine. Other objects of theinvention are to provide unobstructed vision and plenty of lighten thework, together with the effective guarding of the needle against thepossibility of the finger of the operator getting in its path. Otherobjects are that the guard device be independent of the presser foot, toprovide that the needleguarding members may be moved away from theirneedle-guarding position for access to the needle, but at the same timeassuring their automatic return to the guarding position so as toprevent the possibility of the needle being left unguarded. Otherobjects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear. I

My invention includes features of construction and combinations of partsas will appear from the following description.

I shall now describe the needle guard embodying my invention illustratedin the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter point out my inventionin the appended claim.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the needle guard of my invention inoperative position upon the presser foot bar of a sewing machine.

although other types are in use, and comprises a head 1, a needle bar 2,a needle 3, a presser foot bar 4 and a presser foot 5 pivoted by meansof a pivot pin 6 upon the lower end of a fiat presser foot shank 7, theupper-end part of which is removably secured in the bifurcated lower endof the pressure foot bar 4: by means of a retaining screw 8. It ISunderstood of course that the presser foot may be of adifferent'eonstruction and that it may be secured to the presser footbar in a different way, as is commonly the case, these matters havingnothing whatsoever to do with my invention, other than that the guarddevice of my invention is adapted to be employed in connection with anystyle of presser foot. And also it is to be understood that the needlebar, such as 2, may be spaced more or less from the presser foot bar 4and that either a single needle, as shown, or a plurality of needles, asis well known in the art, may be employed. The particular sewing machineshown in the drawings is adapted for either straight or zigzagstitching,and therefore, to provide for the lateral movement or throw ofthe needle in zigzag stitching, the presser foot 5 is provided with 'atransversely elongated opening or slot 9. In practice it has been foundthat the operator will get her finger under the needle more often inzigzag stitching than when the stitching is in a straight line, thisprobably being due to the greater width of the space or double path inwhich the needle alternately reciprocates.

The needle guard embodying my invention shown in the drawings comprisesa supporting member in the form of a split clamp 10 ada ted by means ofa screw ll to be clampe firmly upon the presser foot bar 4 above theshank 7 of the presser foot 5. The

supporting clamp 10 at the front thereofis provided with projecting lugs12, to which are loosely pivoted by means of rivets 13, the upper endsof a pair of sheet metal guard members 14 for free pivotal movement uponthe pivots 13. Asa feature of my invention these guard members 14 are soshaped and disposed as effectively to exersise their guardingfunctionwhile freely admitting light and permitting unobscured vision ofthe work at the stitching point. Along their forward edges the'sheetmetal guard members 14 extend forward and downward on. substantially asemicircular curve to a point just above and inward from the forwardlyprojecting upturned toes of the presser foot 5, as is shown in fulllines in the drawings. 1

This is the operative or guarding position of the guard members 14, andthey are prevented from dropping belowthis position into contact withthe presser foot 5 or into contact withthe work which moves beneath thepresser foot, by means .of flange lilre abutment projections 15 formediupon-the inner sides adjacent to the lower edges of the respectivepivot lugs; 12 of the supporting clamp 10, as shown in Figure 4. When aguard member 14 is raised,'as shown in broken'lines in Figure 4, for thepurpose of gaining access tothe needle for threading the needle or forchanging needles, this guard member 14 is prevented from being turnedover too far towards the back, in which case it might remain in thatposition. The upper-end of each guard member 14is provided, as shown inFigure 4, with a square upper corner 16, which in this elevated positionof the guard member comes into contact. ,with the abutment stop 15,therebyefiectively assuring the' return of the guard members 14 to theguarding position by reason of their own weight;

F or further assuringthe return and the maintaining of the guard members14 at the guarding position and effectively-to prevent their up and downjumping or vibratory movement, which otherwise would take -place owingto the vibration of the sewing machine in operation, coiled retractilesprings 17 areconnected to the pivot lugs 12 at theloweredges andforward ends there of and extend forward and downward and are connectedtothecurved guard members 14, the arrangement being such, as is clearfrom the drawings, particularly from Figure 4, that these springs 17will be adapted .to assist gravity in 'returningthe guardmembers14'fron1 the elevated position thereof indicated in Figure 4 to theguarding posi tion shownin full lines in all'of thefi-gures of the"drawings, and these springs '17 will maintain these guardmembers 14securely at this guarding position and will. prevent their bouncing upor vibrating when the .stantially triangular shape, providing, as

shown in the drawings, a front guard bar a, a lower guard bar 6, and arear guard bar 0, within which is formed a substantially triangularlight-achnitting opening 18. 'Be tween their ends or at intermediatepoints thereof, the sheet metal guard memhers'14 are bowed laterally.outward, as is clearly shown in Figures2 and3, for thereby providin g aclear view of the work at the stitching point, by the operator. Thelower ends of the guard members 14 at the front (that is, at the roundedcorner formed by the guard bars a and b) are curved inward and broughtsufliciently close together to prevent the entrance between them of thefinger of the operator, and are also brought close enough down-to thework and to the prongs of the presser foot 5 to prevent the entranceofthe finger of the operator beneath the guard members at this point. Itis to be noted that the operator has a clear view jof the work as itmoves forward to the stitchguarding position.

. The ,widened lower ends of the guard members 14 at .the rear thereof(thatisto say, at the lower rear rounded corner formed at the junctionof the lower guard bar 7) and the rear guard barc) are spaced apart bothfor the purpose of providing clear and extendedvision by the operatorand. also to provide plenty of room. for the needle bar 2 and needle 3,-particularly, as in the machine shown in the drawings, when the needlebar 2 together with the needle 3carried thereby is adapted to have alateral throw, as .above mentioned, for making a zigzag "stitch,thisspacing apart of the guard membersat this point being clearly shownin the drawings in Figures 2 and'3. The general shape of the curvedsheet metal outwardly bowed guardpmembers 14 is such that the spacebetween these members flares both'upwardly and to the front, therebyproviding the operator a better, view. of the work without in anyrespect interfering with the safety or guarding function of thesemembers, and as will be clear by comparing Fig ures 2 and 3 of thedrawings. It 'i's"'to""be noted that the gradual forward and downwardcurve of the forward and upper edges of the guard members 15 present aneven and smooth surface to the eye of the operator without any sharpcorners or points projecting towards her, it having been found byQXPBIIGHCG that such projection of ends or points, which has sometimesbeen present in other guard devices, has had the effect ofdisconcerting, annoying and irritating the operator, by the effectproduced upon her eyes as she looks at the work, and has caused theoperator to refuse to use the guard device, but instead to remove it orto push it to one side. The shape or contour of the guard members 14 issuch, as above described, and as clearly illustrated in the drawings,that these members while eifectively performing their safety or guardingfunction, at the same time do'not in any manner interfere with the lightnor with the vision of the operator, nor in any manner interfere withher operation of the machine, nor annoy her, as has been the case withguard devices heretofore. The large substantially triangular opening 18is of particular utility in freely admitting light to the work at thestitching point. No matter from what direction the light may come, theconstruction of the guard members 14 is such that no shadow will be castupon the work at or adjacent to the stitching point. For threading theneedle or changing the needle it is usually only necessary to raise upone of the guard members let at a time, and of course both of them maybe elevated at once if desired. Depending upon the particular style ofthe sewing machine, the needle 8 sometimes is to be threaded from oneside, sometimes from the other, sometimes from the front, sometimes fromthe back, and the independently movable guard mem bers 14: provide forconveniently threading the needle in any way, according to the style ofthe machine. It is to be noted that a free open space is providedbetween the upper ends of the guard members 14 all the way forward fromthe adjacent thin band part of the supporting clamp 10, this free spacebeing of importance in view of the fact that in some sewing machines theneedle bar, such as 2, may be much closer to the presser foot bar, suchas 4, than is the case in the particular machine illustrated in thedrawings and also in view of the further fact that in some machinesother de vices belonging to the machine occupy this space, such forexample, as a thread takeup, sometimes carried by the presser foot barand extending forward to a point adjacent to the needle. The completephysical separation, and consequent adaptability for independentmovement, of the pivoted guard members 14: therefore is seen to beof.substantial advantage.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the constructionshown in the drawings and above particularly described within theprinciple and scope of my invention.

I claim:

A needle guard for sewing machines, comprising a support adapted to beclamped to the presser foot bar, guard members pivoted to saidsupporting member and adapted to be moved to needle threading and toneedle guarding positions, each of said guard members being soconstructed as to present an edge which is outwardly and downwardlycurved from the pivotal connection between the guard members and thesupport, and spring tension means tending to resist the movement of theguard members to needle threading position and serving to retain thesame normally in needle guarding position.

In testimony whereof, I have ailixed my signature to this specification.

CHARLES SEAMAN.

